The Tech Update

It seems like everyone today is either equipped with a smartphone, tablet, iPhone, or a supercomputer. If they are not connected to one of these devices, there is a good chance that they are accessing at least one social networking service . Approximately 800,000,000 people are checking in with each other on Facebook each day and the numbers keep on growing. While the world continues to digitize itself, there are still some people in certain industries who refuse to jump on the bandwagon.

Facebook has surpassed the limitations of the tech literate and has successfully transplanted itself into the lives of people not normally associated with cutting edge technology. For every iPhone carrying hipster or corporate “yes-man” checking into the site, there is a surprising member of the site who checks in just as often. Here are some of the unusual suspects you can find updating statuses, checking into coffee shops, or uploading photos on a regular basis:

Farmers

There is nothing more down to earth than working the land to raise crops and livestock. When people think of farming it is usually in a quaint and rustic sense that transcends the hustle and bustle of everyday life. But what are farmers to do when they need to sell their goods?

Many farmers markets are taking to Facebook in order to inform the public about what the types of produce they have for sale on a particular day. Winter Caplanson of Coventry Regional Farmer’s Market says that her Facebook page attracts over 750 people a day and allows her to promote special events and products in a way that most farmers never even dreamed of.

Housewives

The days of the soap opera addicted housewife are over. With several popular daytime dramas getting canceled, more people who stay at home to tend house are turning to the Internet in order to stay entertained throughout the day. Facebook is a natural progression for home dwellers who want to keep an active social life while watching kids or taking care of pets.

Social Recluses

Facebook isn’t all fun and games. According to a recent article on Gizmodo, there are people on the social network who try too hard to compare their lives with others and feel a sense of depression because of it. Social recluses, manic depressives, and other unstable people flock to Facebook in order to feel a sense of belonging, but in the end feel more denigrated and ostracized because of their social networking experience.

English Professors

The biggest technophobes in the world reside in the halls of English departments in the universities of America. For some reason, the words of Faulkner and Hemingway don’t resound with the academic stylings of most literature professors. But if you happen to stumble into the offices of any creative writing professor, you will see they get some excellent source material from the Facebook feeds of students, alumni, and random followers.

Grizzled Old Men

A grizzled old man like Clint Eastwood would never fix himself upon a computer chair and log onto Facebook. Fortunately a skit from late 90s SNL has become viral and made rough old men a fixture of the Internet. The video, which stars Norm Macdonald and Robert Duvall, takes a jab at the lifestyles of these old timers and has made their lives accessible to anyone who is without a grandfather.

The next time you log onto Facebook, take a look at who you are actually following. It may seem like a stretch, but most of the people on your Friends list probably don’t fit the common conception of the modern day Internet user. Facebook has truly become the place for everyone to go.